Genshin Impact video game was reported exposing the linked phone numbers of players in their MiHoYo accounts. Instead of showing a few digits of their contact numbers, full detail is uncensored as part of the security verification in some regions. It turns out that the issue has been present since October 20, 2020.

Genshin Impact Exposes Some Player's Phone Numbers Linked to MiHoYo Account
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How the Issue comes up?

On the off chance that you forget your miHoYo account password, what they can do is go through the reset method. The Security Verification procedure would permit you to confirm your account with a connected e-mail or phone number. Several asterisks will show up within the center of the address to cloud it with the mail account. However, Genshin Impact players who select to “verify linked mobile number” may see their full and uncensored phone number underneath a message saying a message will be sent to that number as reported by Siliconera.

An image on TiltOnPlay shows the uncensored phone number provided when a user goes through the verification process.

Genshin Impact Exposes Some Player's Phone Numbers Linked to MiHoYo Account
(Photo : Reddit.com)
If you linked via mobile, your phone numbers are publically visible to everyone Seems to be fixed now (Was affecting some phone numbers) This has to be some sort of mistake right? Right now, if you were to go to the miHoYo account website --> forgot password --> and then enter your username, the email would be partially censored. However, if you linked a mobile number, it is NOT censored at all. So if you have a common username or your username on Genshin is the same on another service such as Reddit, anyone on the internet can see your phone number. You can see for yourself right now on the website. Having private information exposed this easily on the internet isn't ok. Probably the wise thing to do right now is to unlink your phone number for now. Hopefully miHoYo does something about this. Proof: https://imgur.com/a/nVwZIJg edit: some regions seem to have their phone numbers censored. EU and NA numbers are not censored, possibly Asia too? Check here https://account.mihoyo.com/?lang=en If your mobile number is displayed without any asterisks ***, please unlink your phone number on miHoYo's website or in-game. EDIT: This seems to be fixed now? I've relinked my mobile number and now it seems to be asterisked partially. Still going to keep it unlinked just in case. However, this issue most likely has been in the game for weeks if not since launch, the fact that mHY hasn't said anything is very concerning. Probably a good idea for miHoYo to finally add some sort of Two Factor Authentication to let us feel a bit more secure. To provide feedback to mHY, it seems most efficient to go in game --> menu --> feedback (bottom right, should open a page in your browser) --> on the page that opened click submit feedback --> proceed to submit

Aside from the self-evident downsides of having your phone number uncovered to the world, a few clients have pointed out that leaving information lying around open to the public like this can be  an enormous infringement of the EU's famously strict protection laws.

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The Players Reaction

PCGamer reported that most Genshin Impact players claim that their numbers are being properly encrypted. Some tried to enter their email address onto their account verification; the mobile numbers came out to be censored.

Location may be a factor to this kind of problem to Genshin Impact users, even though there doesn't show up to be sufficient commonality to nail it down at this point—several Indonesian players say their numbers are secured. Still, individuals from other areas in Asia and at the slightest one in North America claim that theirs are completely uncovered.

Genshin Impact Exposes Some Player's Phone Numbers Linked to MiHoYo Account
(Photo : Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
People surf the internet at a cyber cafe on January 24, 2007 in Chongqing Municipality, China. The number of China's Internet users reached 137 million at the end of last year, an increase of 23.4 percent year-on-year, according to a biannual report released by the China Internet Networks Information Centre (CNNIC). China is expected to overtake the United States to have the world's largest Internet population within two years, CNNIC said.

However, MiHoYo still has no response to the problem. But for now, if you are concerned about your privacy and face the same problem in your account, it is better to unlink your phone number from your account until the problem is fixed.

Genshin Impact can be played on PlayStation 4, PC gaming, and Android and iOS Devices. However, a Nintendo Switch version is on its way.

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Written by Liam Eustaquio

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